1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing system for allowing music to be delivered via a network and a file to be shared via the network, an information processing apparatus contained in the information processing system and a computer program executed by the information processing apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
In one application of networks, audio and video content is delivered and shared by users. In the case of an audio content delivery system, for example, a data file containing large number of pieces of content is stored and managed in a server. A user having an information processing terminal, such as a personal computer, operates application software (client software) having a client function for content delivery, thereby downloading a data file of desired content. The data file downloaded as the audio content is typically stored and managed on a storage device in the information processing terminal by the user. The user can thus enjoy video using the client software to play the data file as the content stored on the information processing terminal.
In a content sharing system, the user of the information processing terminal uploads to a server the data file as the audio and video content. The user having uploaded the content receives, from the server, information such as uniform resource locator (URL) where the uploaded data file is stored and notifies acquaintances of the URL. An acquaintance who is notified of may access the URL using his own information processing terminal and thus the uploaded content.
The server in such a content sharing system has a web page where the uploaded content is disclosed. An ordinary user having an information processing terminal accesses the site for searching for content of interest. The ordinary user then views the content by accessing the hit content. The content is thus shared.
In one environment for playing shared content, downloaded content may be stored on an auxiliary memory device in the information processing terminal and the stored content data is played. Alternatively, the content may be stream-played rather than storing locally on the auxiliary memory device.
The technique called peer-to-peer (P2P) is known. Using P2P, information processing terminals exchange data files of content are exchanged over a network, thereby sharing the data file of content over the network.
Also known as application software (editing software) is the one that retrieves audio data and video data as a material and arranges and edits the material to produce a new song. Recently, such application software having a simple to a complex structure is in widespread use among not only specialists for music production but also an ordinary person.
The editing software modifies read data as content (such as audio and video data) for editing. For example, sampling and mashup are performed on audio data so that part of existing music is easily acquired and edited. In practice, professional musicians have released a lot of music produced using such a technique. Reference is made to Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2000-113066.